The present invention relates to a training device for measuring directional accuracy when kicking a ball.
The two styles of kicking a football are: (1) to use a straight-line approach to the ball, where the kicker, ball and goal posts are in line, as the ball is kicked with the toe; and (2) to use the soccer-style approach, where the player kicks with the instep of his foot.
Kicking with the toe is generally used in youth football (i.e., eighth grade and below). As kickers progress to high school, college, and beyond, where more training is available, there has been a change to the soccer-style kick.
To get maximum effect of a soccer-style kick, the approach to the ball is at an angle to a line connecting the ball and the goal posts. To get more power and distance, the kicker tilts his body sideways away from the ball and at the same time twists his body to get more momentum as he follows through with his kicking leg. Since he is kicking the ball with his instep, the ball is typically tilted sideways in the opposite direction in which he tilts his body.
Training devices for improving kicking are known. Some representative examples are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,435,572, 4,641,834, and 4,516,769. The training devices described in these patents include a moveable part holding a ball or simulated ball, which moves from front to rear, but returns to its starting point, before the kick, without stopping. These devices have no means of showing accuracy or inaccuracy in a practice kicking session. There is no evidence or way of determining if the practice kick would have been on or off target.